system composed of many subsystems,it can also be situated within manygreater systems. For example, thereare chairs—or seats that function aschairs—in classrooms, cars, Ferriswheels, and parks, and on bicyclesand airplanes. When placed in one ofthese contexts, a chair becomes part ofa greater system—which itself is madeup of many other parts. If we take theexample of an airplane, we can beginusing the Parts, People, Interactionsthinking routine by considering a hostof other parts in the greater airplanesystem. There are chairs—or seats—where passengers sit, but there arealso many other parts to this system:restrooms, emergency exit rows,food and beverage carts, safetyequipment, navigation equipment—Once we have enumerated thevarious parts of a system, we can listthe various people associated withthat system. Within the system of anairplane, there are passengers, flightattendants, the pilot, and copilot—but there are also the ground crew,cleaning crew, booking agents, TSAauthorities, and various other peopleconnected to the system. Each ofthese groups of individuals has dif-ferent needs and interests, and thereis further variation within groups.

Although there may be shared needsand interests among different peopleassociated with the airline system—thepassengers and flight attendants, forexample—there are also competingdemands within and across thesestakeholder groups. We can considerhow these different individuals interactwith one another as people and howthey interact with different parts of theairplane system.

Problem Solving and“Maker Capacities”

Cognitive strategies like these thinking
routines facilitate problem solving
because they help students uncover
the design-like workings of objects and
systems. In so doing, students come to
see these objects’ malleability. But the
strategies work not only by revealing
complexity, but also by encouraging
certain patterns of thinking that are
especially well suited to exploring
and interrogating design. From the
perspective of the Agency by Design